Customer Reviews

Powers Vol. 4: Supergroup

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bendis really takes a serious step up with this volume. I would put this one on equal footing with the first volume "Who Killed Retro Girl". The dialogue is outstanding (as always) and Oeming's cartoonish style of art, together with the dark moody colors give the work a serious undertone that really packs a punch.

After a mildly lackluster volume 2, and a rather rushed and padded volume 3, Supergroup takes our heros to higher peaks and deeper valleys than before. The usually familiar government conspiracy idea is given greater meaning and impact due to the truly tragic circumstances that befall the main players here. Bendis and Oeming work together perfectly to bring out the raw emotion that needs to be on display to effectively tell this kind of story. The entire Powers universe is ultimately in jeopardy here, and I am very intrigued to find out how this whole thing plays out.

Some comics and subsequent TPB series just continue on, maintaining a staus quo, often without really challenging the reader. Bendis and Oeming appear to be reaching for new heights with volume 4 of the Powers series. I am very much looking forward to voume 5. If you started out with Powers at volume 1, and were disappointed with vol. 2 or 3, I highly recommend that you jump back on the Powers train and get Supergroup.

Brian Michael Bendis, Powers: Supergroup (Image, 2003)

After the pothole that was Little Deaths, Bendis gets Powers back on track with book four, Supergroup. We first heard about the breakup of powers supergroup FG-3 in passing in Little Deaths; now, it takes center stage when ex-FG-3 member Benmarley dies under the most mysterious of circumstances. With Wazz in seclusion and Boogie Girl a distraught mess who, when she gets mad, gives a whole new meaning to the term "flare up," Walker and Pilgrim have to figure out what happened to Benmarley, and whether whoever got to him is going to come after the surviving FG-3 members.

It's great to see the series back on track. Bendis is at his best when he's got a story arc to follow, and he's got a fine one here. Things play out on the grandest of scales, and the combination of intrigue, action, and a stunning ending is bound to leave the reader begging to find out what happens next. If you dropped Powers after Little Deaths, I strongly suggest giving it one more chance; this is the good stuff, right here. *** ½

Detectives Walker and Pilgrim follow a case of a mysterious series of homicides in a group of superheroes. When Walker learns the truth behind the killings, he risks everything to expose the true perpetrators and bring them to justice.

While the story--just like the rest of the series--isn't Bendis' best, his great dialogue writing and characterization in this book are. All of the "Powers" stories have been pretty straightfoward and the mysteries have been fairly lackluster; this book is no exception, but Bendis' 'anything goes for this title' style works well, keeping the reader in the story to see what will happen next.

A strong point in this book is Oeming's artwork which is cartoony, but combined with Fantazis' dark colors really makes for a grounded, crime noir feel.

While this book was good, it was not great. The stories haven't been the greatest, but Bendis' authentic sounding dialogue and Oeming's artwork have been standouts throughout the series.

NOTE: This book is suggested for mature readers due to strong language and violence/gore (a comic book equivalent to an R-rated movie).

I don't see this as being that much better than Volumes 2 or 3. All are atmospheric and interesting. But this is definitely good stuff. The art is even better than the usual high standards; there's a battle/action sequence for several pages that's the best I remember ever seeing.

Supergroup, the fourth trade paperback volume of Brian Michael Bendis' series Powers, continues to entertain and may be the best collection yet. Though the first story arc, Who Killed Retro Girl, remains, in my mind, the most powerful, due to its personal connection to Det. Christian Walker, one of the two leads, this one is full of great action, suspense, and personal drama.
In this collection, we are introduced to the team LG-3, a trio of powers who are apparently very popular in the world of Powers. They make millions off of marketing and they recently had a movie released that quickly rose to the top of the box office charts. However, the arc starts out with one of the members "leaving" the team. It isn't clear whether he left on his own or if he was asked to, but it is clear that he was very
unhappy with the two people who are supposed to be his lifelong friends. Soon after, one of the other member of LG-3 is violently killed; it seems as if a bomb were placed within him, as he pretty much exploded.
Walker and his partner Deena Pilgrim, two detectives who specialize in powers-related homicides, are put on the case. As they begin questioning Boogie Girl, the third member of LG-3, they begin to see that something is a little off about this group of friends and heroes, and when Boogie Girl completely loses her mind and unleashes her powers on Walker, Pilgrim, and the other people attending the questioning (including her seedy lawyer), they are forced to reevaluate the accepted opinions of the origins and
personalities of LG-3.
As the story plays out, Walker and Pilgrim learn of a strange conspiracy that details the origins of the group. But in order to get to the bottom of things, Walker is forced to delve into his past as Diamond, his powers identity that he used before he was robbed of his abilities.
Supergroup is a superb story. However, it does have a few flaws. First and foremost, this collection continues the tradition of the Powers trades losing some dialogue and art in the binding. Obviously, this is a problem with the format, not the story. I find it very annoying that Image can't seem to find a way to bind the book so that we don't lose anything important. Strangely, the only other book I've read that this is an issue with is Alias, which is another Bendis book (I have the omnibus, and on one page, some stuff gets lost). Another problem is the pacing. While the story is great overall, I've noticed that this, along with the previous Powers story arcs, start off a tad boring, then get over-the-top amazing towards the end. Obviously, Bendis saves the best stuff for the end, but the beginning of the stories shouldn't be so hard to get through. A friend of mine told me that Bendis tends to write for trades, making arcs 5 or 6 issues long and reserving the exposition for the first 1 or 2 issues and the action and final twists for the last issues. I am beginning to see that he was right, and this can act as both a blessing and curse for Bendis.
Still, Powers is a great read and is an interesting look at superheroes. It is a book that any superhero fan should read.

The issues contained in this collection really brought the series to a whole new level. There is a surprising conspiracy, a heart-breaking tragedy and an excellent ending. Bendis is one of the best dialogue and character writers in comics, and here he combines those skills with great plotting.

A completely commercialised superteam of three young black people starts to lose members, and they have been killed by a power, that is obvious. Walker and Pilgrim have to investigate, and they discover that there is a very dirty secret at the bottom of this case. The FBI get involved because of this, as does the group's corporate arm.

If "Powers" were strictly what it appears to be - cops investigating superhero homicides - it would be a one-joke show. But like the better police procedurals, it examines the detectives and their motivations. Christian Walker was once a Power, and he knows more than anyone about what it is to be a superhero - a LOT more, as the later books show. In this book, without Walker being a "Dirty Harry," he risks everything he has to bring the case of the "FG-3" murders to some kind of conclusion. Bendis seemed to be feeling his way around his unusual theme in this story arc, and he did wander a bit, but this book was the first hint that "Powers" was something more than a cliched dark and cynical look at superheroes.

Third Trade Paperback outing for the Powers comic book series, third super homicide case for our heroes, some character development who will enhance the metaplot of the series.
It share the weakness of the previous two: lame detective plot, but that is clearly not the reason for the appeal of the book(s).
Good characters, really good dialogs, a well defined background and captivating art are the selling points.
In a perfect world should have get just three stars, but in comparison to the rest of the market the fourth is well deserved.
And, as a matter of fact, even Watchmen had a lame detective plot.